I posted here a while ago about my 350 biting the dust, well its definetely making its last voyage or two. Im putting in a 700r4 next week but have bit of a dilema.
The column shift has provisions for the original 350 (obviously) and its three speeds.

The 700 having 4 speeds needs more shifter travel does it not? or is the throw shorter and i wont have to mess with putting in a floor shifter at this point?

I realize I wont have the correct numbers on the indicator but at this point i dont really care.

Im hoping someone has done this swap and can tell me what problems Ill run into before I get there.
Right now I cant put in a floor shift and dont have the extra cash for an old column.

Has anyone used a camaro/firebird floor shift in a similar swap?

If anyone can help me out with great.... Im supposed to pick up the tranny next week.

I have not done the swap however it seems you would have the play for it, if you changed the lockout play on the column. On those old pickup trucks there is a plate on the column in the engine compartment that has ridges and dips that limit your movement and lock the actual column into gear (so you cant just slip it into reverse without pulling forward on the shifter, and so when its in park it stays in park, etc.).

Have a look at that and see if it gives you some ideas.

BTW - I am going to be doing that swap as well. Where did you get the tranny and how much did it run you. You can PM me if you dont wanna post it outright.

In my area there are a limited number of very reputable wrecking yards/used parts shops. I have dealt strictly with one. I have bought a few th350s from this place and only had a problem with a used tranny once which he replaced with another no questions asked. This may not be the best way to buy parts but I built a pretty stout camaro with a used th350 and could beat the hell out of it day in and day out with no problems. The guy there will warranty the tranny for 4 months and charge 595 (canadian) or sell the tranny as a core for 200. I usually go for the core because rebuild kits are fairly cheap. Same reason Im getting this tranny used for 200 - I already have a 700 at home that needs a planetary and sun gear (the old camaro tranny )so with this Ill have almost two complete trannies and at the worst will need to buy a rebuild kit. I can swap this stuff out in my sleep so paying 1200 canadian for a new 700 to save on the work doesnt interest me a bit.

As far as the column goes my stock c10 doesnt have tilt not that that makes a difference but the fact the trucks are the same till 72 and you didnt have a problem is great, ill see how it goes when I get there but that sounds good.

My only problem now is shortening the driveshaft and relocating the tranny mount. Is there a truck in the same era which has a one piece driveshaft? my truck is a fleetside. I do have a whole pile of newer dodge 4-6 inch aluminum driveshafts which would look pretty sweet but is it worth the effort in switching out the ends to make it fit?

Without the specifics and pictures to back them up you can use a complete steering column from an 80's GM car or truck with overdrive, in a 70's truck.
(shift patterns are different, and the detents in the column match the different patterns)

I swapped the column out of my 1978 GMC when I did a frame-off, and used a tilt/telescope column out of a 1981 Cadillac Sedan Deville.

You will have to play around getting the injected nylon to give up doing it's job of holding but will allow the tube section to move and lengthen to accomodate the extra length needed to hook up to the truck steering gear box.

It will also bolt to the lower portion of the dash and the firewall the same way it did when it came out of the car.

A lot of the time the wiring harnesses will also interchange too.

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I swapped a bad TH350 out of my avatar Monte several years ago and put in a yard TH200. The shift detents gave me fits. The back-up light would be on in neutral if placed just right. Real fun at stoplights. After about 2 months of running that trans, my TH350 went back in and I was back to happy motoring. I can't recall if I had to move the crossmember or not. I don't believe I did though. If I also remember right, the 200 shift throw did work in the place of the 350, but that was done 7+ years ago so I'm not real sure for your application.

I guess from what everyone has more or less implied so far I shouldnt really have a major problem with my tranny swap.
I mean as far as everything being able to work, column shifter for eg. Shnitz you brought up something I never even thought of, namely the neutral/reverse postition on the column compared to the actual shift points on the 700. I guess temporarily this wont bother me as much as the folks behind me. Im definitely going to swap out the column next spring when its warmer than 4 degrees during the day - except of course if I run into problems.
I pick up the tranny on tuesday, I also have a new QJet coming hopefully today (also have had really bad carb problems).

M&M - I have heard of many people using cadillac parts for swaping out from frame and up. Is there a particular reason to used the caddy column compared to a gm truck or van? Im curious about the boltup being similar or do you need to take the whole underdash bracket? The only electrical in my column is the turnsignals is this another reason to go for the caddy? more options to use, lights, cruise etc?

Back to the tranny for a second....
Another question I have is regarding the TC. The tranny im getting is out of a suburban, I also have a 700 out of a camaro, which TC should I use?
BTW. I have a rebuilt 350 with 370hp/390tq which tends to run stronger at a higher rpm. I believe the rear end is 3.09.

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